Kenol Township: As the fight towards ending Gender Based Violence (GBV) intensifies, police have been marked as key actors in ending the vice. Speaking during a GBV sensitization meeting for the police, media practitioners, and transport industry key players at Kenol Township, Mary Kinyanjui from the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action observed that collaboration amongst key stakeholders is crucial in ending GBV. "The way the victims are received at the police station will help them open up and be willing to chart the way forward on prosecution of the perpetrators," she said.
According to Kenya News Agency, a friendly police gender desk is a prerequisite to ensuring justice for victims of GBV is achieved. Kinyanjui urged the officers to be serious and committed to investigating and having a watertight case so that the victims of the violence can get justice. "Preserve the evidence and the specimen that is supposed to help the court cases well, as you collaborate with other key players like the Nyumba Kumi members, the Ministry of Health, and the Judiciary," implored Kinyanjui.
She also noted that the police should get involved in creating awareness of GBV in barazas, which will go a long way in preventing the vice. "Collaborating with members of the public will ensure that cases do not go unreported and the society will not continue propagating GBV like defilements, rape, femicide, FGM, teenage pregnancies amongst others," she noted.
The media, on their part, were urged to be responsible influencers by shaping the behavior of society through their reporting and creating GBV awareness. "Ensure gender-sensitive reporting while covering GBV victims to avoid stigmatizing them even further and work closely with the police to unearth the cases that often go unreported," said Kinyanjui.
At the same time, she called on stakeholders in the transport industry-boda boda riders and PSV drivers-to join in the fight against GBV. "Be our ambassadors because you interact with many people daily and that makes you ideal for promoting anti-GBV messages," Kinyanjui encouraged.
Gerald Maina, a boda boda operator at Kenol Township, noted that the training had offered him insights about how to handle victims who may call on him for help. "Instead of watching from a distance when a victim is being violated, I will be able to call on the police and even try to prevent the violence at that very moment," Maina stated. He promised to sensitize his fellow boda boda operators on the adverse effects of GBV and retrogressive cultures to development.